Page 29 of The Friend

Interest had flared in his eyes before he hung his head and muttered, “Whatever,” and followed her home. And just like that, their lifelong friendship had been born.

Looking back, she would’ve done anything to protect the fierce little boy that day, though she’d been in shock herself. She’d never seen anything like Judd’s father swaying on the front step, his face a mottled red, shouting rude words at his son.

Even at that age her mothering instincts had rushed to the fore and thankfully the young boy with an unruly mop of dark curls had let her into his life and they’d forged a bond nobody could breach since.

“Great spot for a rendezvous.”

Abby sat up abruptly, almost banging her head on the cabana’s low-hanging roof. “Hey, I was just thinking about you.”

“Good things, I hope.”

Judd stooped and entered the cabana, his large frame filling the small thatched room and making her all too aware of its seclusion. She’d told him where she would be, needing some time to unwind before facing the reality of what they were about to do, a small part of her counting on the splendid isolation of this beautiful stretch of beach as an enticing prelude of things to come for the rest of the night.

However, now he’d arrived and filled the small space with his potent presence, her heart thumped with nervous anticipation.

Forcing a smile, she patted the sand next to her, trying to act as normal as possible considering they were about to take an irreversible step down the pathway to carnal bliss.

“Just thinking about how the shoot went,” she said, resisting the urge to tug at her bikini top, hoping it hadn’t ridden up while she’d been lying down.

Though he’d seen her in stuff as skimpy as her new swimsuit before, this felt weirder now that her body tingled every time he glanced her way. And right now, he was gobbling her up with his eyes and coming back for seconds.

“You were great this afternoon.”

He sat on the sand, stretching his long legs out in front of him, drawing her attention to them. He looked fabulous in shorts, a fact that first registered all those years ago when he captained the school football team.

“I’m a professional, what can I say?” She struck an exaggerated pose and they laughed, the taut tension between them easing a tad.

However, as his gaze slowly travelled the length of her body, she stiffened, unable to stay relaxed when every cell in her body was on high alert, desperate for his touch.

The gold flecks in his eyes glittered in the reflected moonlight off the ocean and she swallowed, swamped by helplessness.

Should she throw herself at him? Tease him a little and hope he’d make the first move? Judd the joking friend, she could handle. This new intensely sexy Judd was throwing her way off balance and she had no idea how to recover her equilibrium.

He eyeballed her. “Speaking about being professional, why didn’t you tell me how far you’ve come in your career? We talk so often on the phone, not to mention our almost-novel-length emails and texts, and you didn’t mention it.”

“Because we had more important things to talk about besides me blowing my own trumpet.”

“Like what? My latest triumph? My latest trip?”

“Hey, I like hearing about all that exciting stuff. Don’t worry about it. We’re here now and you get to see firsthand what a marvel I’ve become in the fashion world.”

He snapped his fingers. “From modesty to big head in under a minute. That’s my girl.”

Her smile waned as she decided now was as good a time as any to broach the subject of their impending shift in relationship.

“Seeing as you mentioned me being your girl, are we really serious about changing the status quo?”

He leaned back on his arms, his T-shirt stretched taut across his broad chest, and she gulped. She’d been immune to him physically for years—it had helped not seeing him in the flesh, so to speak—but she didn’t stand a chance considering she’d been hot for him as a teenager and absence in this case really had made her heart fonder.

“I’m deadly serious. How about you?”

Her heart turned over at the serious implication of what they were about to do. “I’m in.”

“Great,” he said, tracing circles in the sand with one hand while sending her a slow, lazy smile. “Who gets to make the first move? After all, no time like the present.”

Abby swallowed, her skin prickling with his proximity. “Now, huh? I’m still trying to get used to the idea.”

“It is a bit much to take in, isn’t it? Come here.” He opened his arms and, bracing herself for the first scintillating physical contact, she leaned over and hugged him.

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